Signaling apparatus



(No Model.)

V. K.- SPICER. SIGNALING APPARATUS.

Patented Mar. 8, 1898.

Att'y.

WITNESSES:

ppp STATES PATENT il muon.

VIBE K. SPICER, OF KENILWORTH, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH AND SIGNAL COMPANY,

OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

SIG NALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,384, dated March 8, 1898.

Application filed April Z7, 1897.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VIBE K. SPICER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kenilworth, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Apparatus, of which improvements the following is a speccation.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in mechanism for the automatic operation of signals, and has for its object a construction and arrangement of mechanical devices whereby a suitable motor may be put into operation for shifting the signal to safety7 position and to lock it in such shifted position, the locking mechanism and the mechanism for shifting the signal being controlled by train movements along the track-section to be protected.

In general terms the invention consists in the construction and combination substantially as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved apparatus inclosed within a suitable case, which forms the base of the signal-post. Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the same, the case being removed. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the signalshifting mechanism, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the parts operative to hold the signal in clear position and of makeeand-break mechanism controlling the motor-circuit.

In the practice of my invention the signalblade, which is preferably of the semaphore type, is so mounted on the supporting-post 1 that when free to move it will rise to danger position. The signal-rod 2 is connected at its lower end to the arm 3 of a bell-crank lever which is pivotally supported on a post or standard 4, arranged within the case or shell 5, forming the base of the signal-post 1. The arm 6 of the lever is made sufficiently long to project down into the path of movement of shoulders or projections 7, preferably constructed in the form of antifriction-roll- Serial No. 634,091. (No model.)

in suitable bearings on posts or standards 11 within the case or shell 5. The shaft 13 of one of the sprocket-wheels, as 9, is extended a short distance and has the gear-wheel 1/1 loosely mounted thereon. This gear-wheel is connected through a train of gearing to the shaft 15 of the motor 16, which is preferably constructed in the form of an electric motor. In order to connect the gear-wheel14; with the shaft 13, the gear-Wheel is provided on its hub with one member of a clutch mechanism, and the other member of such mechanism is formed on the sleeve 17, so keyed to the shaft 13 as to have a movement longitudinal therei of and at the same time capable of rotating the shaft. The sleeve 17 is shifted along the shaft into and out of engagement with the clutch member on the gear-Wheel 111 bya lever 1S, one end of which is in engagement with the groove in the sleeve 17, while the opposite end bears against one end of the armatureshaft 15. For operating the lever advantage is taken of a characteristic of some electric motors, that the armature when at rest is out of line with a plane passing through the middle of the iield-magnets, but is moved into such plane as soon as the field-magnets are excited. The motor is so arranged with reference to the connecting-gearing that the longitudinal movement of the armature and its shaft will when the field-magnets are excited shift the sleeve 17 so as to bring the clutch members into engagement with each other, thereby rotating the shaft 13 and properly shifting the chain 8. The separation of the members of the clutch mechanism when the current is cut off from the field-magnet is effected by spring 19, secured to a suitable support and bearing at its free end against the lever 18 in such manner as to cause the outer end of the lever to follow or effect the longitudinal movement of the armature-shaft 15 when the current is cut off.

When the signal is in danger position, the

bell-crank lever will be in the position shown IOO hook 20 is pivotally mounted on a bracket 21, secured to the post or standard 4, said parts being so arranged that when the lever is in the position shown in full lines the hook will engage a pin 22 on the arm 6 of the lever. the pin 22, an arm 23, having its upper end Weighted, is pivotally mounted on the bracket 21, and is provided below the hook With'a pin or shoulder 24, adapted when the weighted arm drops to strike against the hook to force it out of engagement with the pin. The weighted arm is normally held in its raised position by a hook or shoulder formed on one arm of the bell-crank lever 25, the opposite arm being provided with or having secured thereto the armature of an electromagnet 26. While the hook on the lever 25 may engage any suitablyconstructed shoulder on the weighted arm, it is preferred to provide the latter with a spring-hook 27. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig. l.) It Will be readily understood that when the magnet 26 is denergized the bell-crank lever 25 will automatically drop, its hooked arm being properly weighted for that purpose, and thereby release the weighted arm 23. The dropping of this arm will cause the pin orshoulder 24 to engage the hook 20, and by the continued movement of the weight and the shock imparted by its fall the hook 2O will be shifted out of engagement with the pin 22. In order to shift the hooked releasing device into engagement with the locking-armature, a shoulder 28 is formed on the chain 8 just in front of each of the shifting projections 7. These shoulders 28 are so constructed and proportioned as to strike against the hook-releasing device-. e., the lower end of the arm 23-and thereby throw it into engagement with the locking-armature. While being shifted to locked position the Weight will force the hook 2O downward into engagement with the pin 22.

The magnet 26 is arranged to be controlled by the track-circuit and may be either included in such circuit or preferably included in a circuit which is controlled by a relay included in the track-circuit, as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. l. The generator for operating the motor is included in a circuit which is formed in part by a make-and-break mechanism controlled by the motor and in part by a make-and-break mechanism controlled by the magnet 26. trolled make-and-break mechanism is formed by springs 29 29a, supported on but insulated from the bracket 4 and so arranged and located as to be shifted out of contact with each other by the hook-releasing device when the latter is shifted into engagement with the armature-lock by the chain 8. The springs forming this make-andbreak mechanism are so constructed as to spring together when freed by the automatic releasing movement of the hook-releasing device. The make-and-break mechanism controlled by the magnet 26 is formed by springs 30 so arranged as to be In order to disengage the hook from- The motor-conbrought into contact with each other when the armature-is drawn to its magnet.

The signal being in danger position, with its bell-crank lever in the position shown in dotted. lines and the circuit-closer formed by the springs 29 29a being closed, the makeand-break mechanism in the motor controlled by the magnet 26 will be also closed by the movement of the train off the track-section controlled by the signal. On the closing of this make-and-break mechanism the motor will become energized, thereby shifting the chain so that one of its projections 7 will bear against the arm 6 of the lever and shift the latter to the position shown in full lines in Fig. l. Just as the arm 6 reaches this position the weighted arm 23 will be shifted by the projection 2S on the chain, so as to throw the Weighted arm into engagement with the` locking-armature of magnet 26. The movement of this releasing device causes the hook 20 to engage with the pin 22 on the arm 6 and also forces the springs 29 29a apart, thereby breaking the motor-circuit. As no brake mechanism is employed the motor,sprocketwheels, and chain will have sufficient momentum, after the pin has shifted-the lever 6 to clear position and the motor-circuit has been broken, to carry the projections 7 beyond the end of the lever 6. As soon as a train enters upon the track-section controlled by the signal the magnet 26 will become energized, thereby permitting its armature-lever to drop and release the weighted arm 23, the downward movement of which will disengage the hook 2O from the pin 22, thereby permitting the signal to go to danger. This movement of the releasing device permits the springs 29 29a to move into contact with each other, closing the motor-circuit at that point which has been previously broken by the movement of the armature-lever of the magnet 26 in releasing the arm 23. Hence the motor will not be energized until the makeand-break mechanism controlled by the magnet 26 is closed by the energizing of such magnet, which will not occur until the train has passed off the section controlled by the signal.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. In a signal apparatus the combination of a signalv having a bias to danger, a pin having a back-and-forth movement in different planes, a lever having one arm extending into the line of movement of the pin when moving in one direction and its opposite end connected to the signal, a catch, means operated by the pin-shifting mechanism for shifting the catch into engagement with the lever and a magnet for holding the catch in engagement with the lever, substantially as set forth.

2. In a signal apparatus, the combination of a signal having a bias to danger, a belt provided with a pin or shoulder, an electric motor for driving said belt, a lever having one arm extending into the path of move- IOO rfi

ment of said pin and its opposite end con- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set VIBE K. SPICER.

Witnesses:

DARWIN S. WoLooTT, F. E. GAITHER. 

